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Reflections of a Lay Catholic

Reflections of a Lay Catholic

Tag Archives: Lenten resolutions

Road Trip Reflections: Battles are Won From Within

22 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Virtue

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Examination of Conscience, Lenten resolutions, Spiritual Warfare, St. Michael the Archangel, Temptation, Virtue

Icon of St. Michael the Archangel

Yesterday at the end of Mass we recited the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel before the final blessing.  As we prayed, “St. Michael, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil….”, I wondered how many of the faithful say this prayer with rote indifference, unaware that, in our world today, we truly are in a battle between good and evil.  The prayer implies that we are in the battle.  We are fighting for our souls and the souls of everyone we love.  We are the troops on the ground and when we call upon St. Michael it’s like we’re calling for close air support to assist us.  It doesn’t mean we sit back and let him do all the work.

At home after Mass, I packed my bags, loaded a U-Haul trailer and set out on a road trip to San Antonio, Texas.  The first leg was to my parent’s house in southeast Missouri for a quick visit.  On the way I saw a billboard with a photograph of a Marine running through a jungle with the caption, “Battles are won from within”, alluding to the interior fortitude required to be a Marine.  Reflecting on the morning’s Mass, I thought we could all benefit from some stronger moral interior fortitude to help resist the temptations of the world today. 

Shortly after seeing this billboard I turned on my stereo and Jerry Jeff Walker’s The Rain Song from his It’s About Time album began to play.  It contains the lyric, “The hardest thing a man can do is look inside and see the truth about himself.”  Still thinking about the spiritual warfare we are waging, it made sense that the place to start if we want to win this war is to look inside and see the truth about ourselves.

The hardest thing for a man to do is look inside and see the truth about himself.

A Marine discovers his or her weaknesses by repeatedly facing difficult challenges and, through sheer willpower, forcing themselves to overcome the obstacles that are inhibiting their confidence.  Similarly, we need to accept our challenges and suffer through our daily trials as training to resist the temptations that lead us to sin.  And, Lent is a perfect time to make this effort!

I include myself in that “we need to”.  With several hours of windshield time ahead of me I considered where to begin.  Unsure, I simply said out loud, “God, help me see the truth about myself, to uncover my faults and bad habits.”   I heard in reply, “Why not start with your roles in life and the responsibilities that go with them?  Are you being responsible and if not, why not?”

As though the Lord was sitting in the passenger seat I conversed out loud with Him.  I examined my roles as Self, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Friend, and Disciple. I recognized both my good efforts and those with which I fall short and still had room for improvement. 

I was prompted to ask, “Why do I do the things I do?”, which forced me to look for root causes.  “That’s just the way I am” was not an acceptable answer. After making a pit-stop, I drew up a list of resolutions and made a note to break them down into concrete baby steps.

Getting back on the road it seemed like I was still missing something.  So, I turned to my “passenger” again and asked what other interior obstacles needed examining.  It was like the Lord knew I would need to keep my mind occupied on this long trip so He gave me a list:

“Consider your vices and how you can replace them with virtue.  How can you be more humble?  Maybe replace gluttony with a little temperance?  What about focusing on charity to others instead of being so selfish?  You know, don’t you, that strengthening one virtue improves the others?

“Take a look at any disordered attachments in your life.  What do you treasure that doesn’t bring you closer to Me?  Ask yourself why you want it.

“Examine the relationships in your life.  How can you improve them?  Hint:  Remember the two great commandments – how can you love more dearly?  

“Is your life balanced?  If it feels lop-sided, find out why?  What brings stress and anxiety into your life?  Is it something that you can change?  If so, change it.  If not, join your cross to mine and I’ll help you carry it.

And finally, “When you get around to it, come back and ask Me to help you with these.  I’ll be glad to.  I’ll be here.”

I pulled into my parent’s driveway and remembered reconciliation from Saturday during which I confessed I’d not done well at making a daily examination of conscience and needed to do better.  He took me for my word!

I know some sincere resolutions during Lent will help me through the desert of Satan’s temptations.  Could it help you, too?  Talk to God about it and don’t refuse to accept His help.  You can win the battle from within.  God bless you!

“Merciful Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit into my life and strengthening my soul so that I may do my part at resisting temptations to sin.  Lord, I know that You and my guardian angel are there if I just place my trust in You and call on You for Your assistance.  Thank you for being my co-pilot yesterday.  Amen.”

If You’re Going to Believe in Everything You Read, then Start with Your Bible

17 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bible, Leaven of Herod, Leaven of the Pharisees, Lenten resolutions, Mainstream Media, Mark 8:14-21, Turn off your television

Last week I drove by the United Methodist Church in our town of Lebanon, Ohio and saw on their marquee this thought provoking quip, “If you’re going to believe in everything you read, then start with your Bible.”  I thought at the time how it has become almost impossible to believe anything one reads or hears.  The mainstream media distorts the truth to fit their agenda, and social media is filled with half-truths and opinions making it difficult to know what is reality.  And, I agreed that the safest place one can go to read the truth and preserve one’s intellect is the Bible.

I thought about this again when I read today’s Gospel passage, Mark 8:14-21, where Jesus tells his disciples, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” I know I’ve read this passage many times before but I was always like the disciples, not understanding Jesus’ intent.  Today, I think I grasped His meaning.

Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

Mark 8:15

Leaven, or yeast, is added to flour and water to make bread rise.  Without it, you get flatbread.  But, flatbread is still bread, unadulterated bread.  The leaven is a change agent that adds air to the dough without adding any nutritional value, yet makes the bread look more attractive, and imparts a pleasing and desirable flavor.  

The Pharisees, who were the religious component of authority in Jesus’ time, added their “leaven” of man-made laws which camouflaged God’s commandments, making them secondary.  Herod, the Roman political component of authority, demanded that the Roman laws, his “leaven”, also supersede God’s laws so that he and his government would remain in power.  Although the Jews were oppressed by the Romans, they also depended on them for their security.

We have a similar set up in our culture today.    The modern day pharisees preach love of self over love of God (individualism), love of things before love of God (materialism), love of disordered pleasure over morality (hedonism), and that we can make up our own truth and disregard the truths of human nature given to us by God (relativism).  Our society seems to have accustomed itself to depending on our government, our own Herod, for all its needs, placing our political leaders on a pedestal higher than God, which is right where they want to be.  Together, the two are like the right and left hands of a marionette in a puppet show being orchestrated by Satan himself, the puppet master.

And, our mainstream media is narrating the entire production, telling us what to believe, who to believe, and how we should and should not act.  It’s not just the news sources but also television shows billed as family entertainment, movies whose producers are coerced to present non-Christian content in hopes of receiving industry recognition, music that promotes every sort of immoral decadency, literature that entices us to believe that fantasy is preferential over reality, and declares pornography to be an art form.

And we wonder why our world is a mess.  We have dug our hole deep and it’s caving in on us.  The only way to dig ourselves out is to turn back to God and live by His commandments instead of the perverted norms of our society.  We must adore God more than we do our political leaders and more than we do those who promote immorality.

How might you do this?  For starters, turn off your television.  Ask yourself if the information you glean from a news broadcast makes a positive difference in your life or does it simply cause anxiety, fear, and mistrust.  Decide if watching that sitcom you’re addicted to is making you a better person.  Do you really want to support Netflix or HBO or any of the other media sources by watching a not-so-bad movie yet knowing that their real appeal is in their “racier” offerings?  Consider whether watching a televised sporting event is going to make a difference in your life, or could you be spending that couple hours building relationships with your spouse or children.  The media knows we are weak.  They know we will gravitate to what feels good over what is good.  You can be stronger than they are.

Impossible you ask?  It’s not.  This month marks the thirty-fourth year my wife and I have not watched television.  We have a television but it is only used to watch a handful of movies in a year.  Spending time together in conversation, playing games, praying together, taking walks together and other mutual activities are much more rewarding.  Our children grew up without television.  Instead of parking them in front of the television as children we played with them, read books to them, helped them with homework, provided opportunities for creativity.  In other words, we were present in their lives.  It made a difference.  I’m not pridefully patting myself on the back, just hoping to be an inspiration to you by giving an example that it can be done.  Think about it.

The same goes for every other type of entertainment including books and music.  Ask yourself if that which you are reading or listening to feeds your intellect with the truth of reality.  Ask whether it is good or not.  By good I mean that it not only brings you satisfaction but makes you a better person, whether it fulfills the purpose for which you were designed by God.  We are only truly happy when both conditions are met.  You can find that happiness in the Bible.

As I write this it is Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, the eve of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  If you’re looking for something to “give up” for Lent, or wondering how you might grow closer to Christ in this season, consider fasting from television and replace it with reading Scripture, building relationships with God through prayer and with your family, friends and neighbors.  I guarantee you will reap more rewards than by giving up chocolate.  

Since television is not an issue for me, my lenten resolution is to fast from FaceBook completely.  I venture there mostly to see pictures my daughters might have posted of my grandchildren.  But, while looking for those, I easily become distracted by all the other addicting content that steals my time, and which may or may not be believable.  I would much prefer reading the One Book that is believable because I know it is truth, letting it make me a better person, and then going out and practicing what I’ve learned.

I pray that each and every one of you grows closer to our Lord this Lenten season.

“Heavenly Father, You made us for more than we have become.  Help me and all Your faithful during this Lenten season love You more and grow closer to You through prayer, as well as building loving relationships with our family, friends and neighbors.  Amen.”

(If You’re Going to Believe Everything You Read, then Start with Your Bible was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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